LAMB BACKS IDEA OF RANDOM DRUG TESTING FOR SOLDIERS

Compulsory random drug tests for soldiers would help enforce the Bermuda
Regiment's zero-tolerance policy on drug use, new commanding officer
Lieutenant Colonel Edward Lamb said yesterday.

His comments come after news broke that three Regiment soldiers were caught
in possession of marijuana at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina last year.

Lt. Col. Lamb admitted there were soldiers who used drugs but emphasised
the Regiment had "zero tolerance" toward them.

Asked if he supported compulsory random drug testing, as in the US and
Britain, he said: "I would support any idea that is going to be a deterrent
for the use of drugs. "I don't see drugs as a main scourge of the Regiment.
There is a drug culture but it is not a problem that affects our
operational readiness or effectiveness."

Eighty-four US Marines and sailors were arrested last week at Camp Lejeune,
where the Regiment sends troops every other year for training, on charges
of using and selling Ecstasy, cocaine, LSD and methamphetamines.

The arrests were the culmination of a two-year undercover investigation
that resulted in the seizure of more than $1.4 million worth of drugs,
according to The Associated Press.

Adjutant Capt. William White confirmed that three Regiment soldiers were
caught in possession of marijuana during a trip there last May.

He said the men were jailed for 28 days at Warwick Camp upon their return
to the Island.

A Regiment soldier, who would not be named, said he became aware that local
troops were smoking marijuana with their American counterparts while he was
there.

"A lot of the time, our guys would spend time with the Marines out in the
bush and we heard that they were using it. They spoke pretty freely about
it in the barracks," he said. "I'm not surprised that these recent arrests
happened there. We already knew that there was some kind of drug activity
going on."

Lt. Col. Lamb praised the Regiment's relationship with Camp Lejeune as
"very productive and profitable" and said: "We've built up a strong
relationship with the Marine Corps."

But he said he was not shocked to hear about the arrests.

"Unfortunately, I am no longer shocked when I hear who is involved in
drugs. They are intertwined in our culture and the military is not exempt
from those temptations.

He noted the 84 people who were arrested were only a small fraction of the
50,000 to 60,000 active-duty personnel based at Camp Lejeune.

"We tend to have a strict regime when it comes to dealing with drugs. We
can 't afford to have our people on mind-altering substances in the
Regiment. Those soldiers who know me, know where I stand on this issue."